Wire-stretcher.



W. H. HANNAH. WIRE STRETOHER. APPLICATION FILED urns, 1910.

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WI T/VFSSES INVENTOR Patented Sept. 13, 1910.

UNITED PATENT OFFIGE.

WILLIAM H. HANNAH, OF YELK, WEST VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-SIXTH TO HUGH A. HANNAH, OF YELK, WEST VIRGINIA, AND ONE-SIXTH TO JAMES F. JUDY, OF

BARTOW, WEST VIRGINIA.

WIRE-STRETCHER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 13, 1910.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM H. I'IANNA II, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Yelk, in the county of Pocahontas and State of'l/Vest Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in WVire-Stretchers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates-to fences and particularly to a class thereunder known as wire stretchers.

An object of this invention is to provide a wire stretcher having a clamp designed to engage a plurality of strands of wire, thus making the said stretcher applicable for use in applying wire netting to fence posts for the purpose of producing a fence, the object of this invention being to provide novel means for actuating the clamp from a single lever which is to be manually operated.

A further object of this invention is to provide a wire stretcher with a clamp having a plurality of clamping members in such relation to one another that said clamp will be effective for use with wire netting in which the strands of wire or those which are longitudinally disposed may engage the clamp regardless of the spacing apart of said strands, that is to say, the clamp will be effective even though the said strands of wire are wide apart or if they are close together.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a wire stretcher having a clamp of the character noted and in conjunction therewith an operating handle and take-up for moving the clamp toward the anchor to which the stretcher is connected in a step by step movement, means being also provided for holding the clamp in any position of adjustment to which it may be moved, while, at the same time, relieving the strain on the mechanism which effects the step by step movement of the said clamp.

WVith the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists in the details of construction and in the arrangement and combination of parts to be hereinafter more fully set forth and claimed.

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which like characters denote corresponding parts, and in which Figure 1, illustrates a view in elevation of a fragment of a fence with the invention in operative position; Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the device shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 illustrates a side elevation of the wire clamping device: and Fig. 4 illustrates a snnilar view with the parts in different positions of adjustmcnt.

in these drawings 5, denotes one member of the clamp which is in the shape of a bar having a series of notches (3 therein which are designed to form seats for the longitudinally disposed wires 7 of a wire fence or netting and the said bar has a clamping plate 8 thereon with teeth 9 which register with the recesses of the bar in order that the strands of wire applied to the bar will also pass along the edges of the teeth of the plate. The plate 8 is secured to the bar by means of screws 10 or otherwise, the only requirement being that the said plate shall be rigidly connected to the said bar.

Acting in conjunction with the teeth of the plate 8 is a sliding plate 11 having teeth 12 which are oppositely disposed with relation to the teeth 9 of the plate 8 and designed to enact with the said teeth 9. The plate 11 has longitudinally disposed slots .13 which receive the studs it here shown in the shape of screws having their ends embedded in the bar. As shown in the drawing, the plate ll is slidablc on the plate 8 and is held in operative relation to the plate 8 through the medium of the studs just described.

In order to reciprocate the sliding plate with relation to the plate 8 a lever 15 is connected to the said sliding plate through the medium of a screw 17 or other pivotal connection and the said lever has a pivot 16 connected to the bar, hence as the lever is oscillated, reciprocal motion is communicated to the sliding plate and the teeth of the said sliding plate are moved to clamp or release the longitudinally disposed strands of wire forming the fence. As the bar is provided with a plurality of recesses slightly spaced apart, it is always possible in operation to effectively operate the wire stretcher regardless of the size of the mesh of the wire netting as the strands of the wire netting will be accommodated by one or the other of the notches. The bar 5 is also provided with a yoke 18 of any suitable material and of any appropriate shape preferably having a central loop 19 to which a chain or other flexible device 20 is attached, the said chain being connected to the power mechanism 23 of any appropriate type. The yoke 18 has its ends connected to the eyes of the bolts 18 which pass through the member 5.

As Will be understood from the foregoing description, the teeth of the sliding plate Will clamp the strands of Wire into engagement with the teeth of the plate 8 and means are provided for holding the lever against movement after the parts have been brought into position to clamp the strands of Wire through the medium of the detent 27 which is pivoted to the bar and has a hooked end 28 designed to engage serrations on the edge of the said lever.

I claim In a clamp for Wire stretchers, a bar, a

plate on the side of the bar remote from the direction of the strain of the Wires it engages, said plate and bar having corresponding recesses, teeth formed on the plate by the recesses, a sliding plate having teeth oppositely disposed to the teeth of the first mentioned plate, means for retaining the sliding plate in operative relation to the first mentioned plate, means for reciprocating the sliding plate, and means for exerting pull on the bar on the side thereof containing the plate.

I11 testimony Whereof I hereunto afiix signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

WILLIAM H. HANNAH.

Witnesses C. J. MGCARTY, J. G. TIL'roN. 

